Ireland ranked 1st in Europe for sports tech VC investment

Ahead of the historic Steelers Vs. Vikings NFL game this Sunday (28th September) in Dublin, the Irish government’s trade and innovation agency, Enterprise Ireland has launched a report, powered by PItchBook data on Ireland’s sports tech sector.

The report points to Ireland’s robust domestic sports tech sector, home to 93 VC-backed sports tech companies, including 40 homegrown global innovators. These companies include Orreco, Kitman Labs and Output Sports, who joined Enterprise Ireland for the launch of the report. All three companies are working with NFL teams and many other global sporting brands, including NBA, NHL, PGA Tour, F1, Olympians, Premier League and Premiership Rugby.

Orreco the global leader in bio-analytics solutions for professional athletes, also announced today that they are supporting the Harvard Football Players Health Study, funded by the NFL and NFLPA. The study leads efforts to develop and support innovative research that has the potential to impact the health of current, former, and future NFL players.

Examining the VC level of activity in Irish sports tech, the report, powered by PitchBook data reports that Ireland’s sports tech ecosystem has notably defied the recent downward trend in VC activity seen in other regions since 2022. Irish sports tech VC deal count grew by more than 50% in 2023, compared with a drop of more than 30% for Europe overall in the same period. In 2024, Ireland’s deal count grew an additional 47.1%, while broader European deal count declined again by 15.5%.

Since 2014, Irish sports tech start-ups have collectively raised over €224 million in VC funding across 181 transactions. Notable VC funding rounds include Kitman Labs (€71.1 million raised) and Xtremepush (€18.6 million) and Output Sports with €4.5 million raised in 2025.

Year to date 2025 data show that Ireland ranks seventh in Europe for total sports tech VC deal count, despite its relatively small population. On a per-capita basis, this ranking rises to first, and Ireland has maintained a top four ranking nearly every year over the past decade.

Enterprise Ireland has emerged as a central force in shaping the sports tech investment landscape, not only in Ireland but across Europe. Since 2024, it has led the region in deal activity with 19 sports tech investments — more than triple the number recorded by the next most active investors.

Commenting on the report, Keith Brock, Enterprise Ireland’s Senior Client Advisor for Enterprise Solutions, said: “The Irish sports tech industry has expanded rapidly over the past ten years, both in terms of the number of companies, but also in the level of investment they have attracted and the impact they are achieving internationally working with global sports leagues.

Across Enterprise Ireland’s portfolio of sports tech companies, there are 89 active or pending patents covering wearable devices, augmented reality, diagnostic, exercise equipment and equine health. This level of patents points to the strong level of R&D and innovation happening in the sector, which in turn is accelerating the international sports industry from athlete performance to fan engagement.

“We are proud of Enterprise Ireland’s role in supporting the Irish sports tech industry, leading sports tech investment not only in Ireland, but in Europe, with 19 sports tech investment since 2024 alone. However, while Enterprise Ireland has been backing the Irish sports tech industry, the industry has also attracted major global VC investment including from Octopus Ventures (UK), Partech (France) and Apex Capital (Portugal).”

Irish companies working with NFL Teams:

Kitman: Kitman Labs’ Intelligence Platform (iP) is an advanced operating system for performance, health, and talent development, unifying data across medical, performance, coaching, and operational domains to deliver AI-driven, evidence-based insights. iP enables leagues, federations, and elite organisations to connect data, streamline workflows, and optimise athlete availability, development, and long-term success. Kitman Labs is used by the NFL, Premier League, MLS, WSL, NWSL, RFU, IRFU, and more than 2,000 organisations in 26+ countries.

Orreco: Orreco is the global leader in bio-analytics solutions for professional athletes, combining expertise in sports science, data analytics and the development of AI-powered solutions to optimise performance, accelerate recovery, and extend playing careers. Orreco works with the NFL, NBA, NHL, EPL, PGA Tour, WNBA, NWSL, F1, and Olympians.

Output Sports: Wearable sensors & software to allow sporting organisations all levels to test, train & plan for strength & power. Currently support over 1,400 customers across all major sporting leagues including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and WNBA.

Download the report on Ireland’s sports tech industry

pitchbook-report-ireland-s-sports-tech-landscape-en-164772.pdf

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